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“Oh please Your Silverness spare me.”
“You’re a child. How you’ve lived for so long, and still fail to grasp common sense is beyond me.”
“Both of you. Enough.” That shut White Lily and Shadow Milk Cookie right up. It was clear that their endless bickering, and Pure Vanilla having another failed attempt at making the two cookies he loves most, even trying to be civil with each other, is a recipe for a very frustrated cookie.
“It’s obvious that my approach is not working so we are gonna try this a different way.” Pure Vanilla was rubbing his temples while Shadow Milk and White Lily looked like two children being scolded.
“‘Nilla do we have to? It’s obvious that we are just incompatible I doubt her majesty over here would disagree on that” Shadow Milk said gesturing vaguely in White Lily’s direction
“While it does not sit right with me, I agree I don’t think our world view could ever co-exist.”
“That's passive-aggressive for she hates my guts” Shadow Milk stage whispered while facing Pure Vanilla, to which White Lily sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, not agreeing with or denying the claim.
“Please both of you, I know the contention between you is bigger and older than us three. But you two are so very important to me and it would mean the world to me if you could please be civil with each other.” Pure Vanilla grabbed White Lily’s and Shadow Milk’s hands and looked between them with his patented puppy dog pleading stare. Shadow Milk looked away now a bright shade of violet but was the first one to speak
“UGH, fine but this is for you ‘Nilla don’t delude yourself into thinking that me and her could ever get past a mildly cordial relationship.” Shadow Milk also leaned back in his chair lifting two of the legs off the ground, White Lily chuckled at that
“Mildly cordial is being a bit too presumptuous don’t you think?” Shadow Milk scoffed, smirked, and rolled his eyes. Which Pure Vanilla secretly cheered at not wanting this moment to be ruined by him causing a ruckus.
“Okay! I have a new idea if you two could just follow me!” Pure Vanilla was less frustrated seeing a tiny glimmer of hope that they could ever be neutral towards each other maybe even friends but Pure Vanilla isn’t that blindly optimistic. He stood still holding their hands and started leading them out of the meeting hall they were just in.
“Soo are we allowed to know where we’re going or is this a blindfold and spin you around type situation?” Shadow Milk drawled and he floated a few inches off the ground still holding Pure Vanilla's hand.
“There will be no need for such theatrics, my dear. I am merely taking you two down the hall.”
“To the library? But-” Before White Lily could finish they were in front of the library doors and with a swish of Pure Vanilla's staff Shadow Milk and White Lily were transported inside.
“What the- Hey!” Shadow Milk tried to open the door but he was met with a blinding light like when Shadow Milk tried to look into Pure Vanilla's soul after his awakening and it made him step back. He did this on purpose
“I need to run some errands but when I come back if you two still dislike each other I will give up on my friendship pursuits does this sound fair?”
“Pure Vanilla I-” White Lily started but the sounds of Pure Vanilla’s staff on the waffle floor showed that he was already out of earshot. Shadow Milk put his head in his hands and groaned.
15 minutes had passed and Shadow Milk was sat crisscrossed in the middle of the plush cream wool rug in the middle of the room, while White Lily sat on a love-seat in front of him reading a book she had picked up.
“Are you even gonna try the door?” Shadow Milk asked and White Lily didn’t even look up from her book.
“I know his style of magic quite well, and from your reaction, I’m assuming what’s waiting for me is a burst of blinding light that no one could see through. I’m okay.” Shadow Milk gave a noncommittal grunt and laid down to look at the fire in the fireplace on his left.
45 minutes had gone by before either of them moved or spoke. White Lily stood up and walked back over to the bookshelf to scour the spines. If Shadow Milk hadn’t read every book in this library, multiple times, then he probably would’ve done the same. But now he was sprawled out on the rug trying to see what Pure Vanilla saw in her, but he assumed the feeling was very mutual. When White Lily sat down again something caught his eye it was a scroll but it was written in very familiar handwriting.
“Is that my paper on the origin of the stars?” White Lily seemed startled by the sound of his voice then the realization dawned on her
“I often forget that you were once the Fount of Knowledge.”
“Heh, yeah I know, look how far I’ve fallen stuck in a dusty old library with the Queen of faeries” White Lily didn't say or do anything for a few beats, seemingly contemplative, as if assessing him to figure out the equation of Shadow Milk in her mind.
“If you wrote this then could you help me chart out the stars for this period? It’s been a kind of passion project for me and unfortunately, I haven’t found any solid sources.” White Lily tilted her head still assessing him with those piercing red eyes
“Pssh, charting the stars? I could do that in my sleep I just need some sugar paper and some ink” Shadow Milk said sitting up and challenging her critical stare with a stare of his own full of mischief and excitement.
When Pure Vanilla came back another hour later he walked into quite the sight. Shadow Milk was sticking sugar paper to the ceiling with stars and constellations drawn on them that he had never seen before. It covered the entire ceiling, and White Lily and Shadow Milk were conversing instead of bickering, talking about the path of the moon. How stars live and die over the millennia. Pure Vanilla was a little confused, but he was just happy to see them finally having something in common.
“What on Earthbread are you two up to?” Pure Vanilla giggled and White Lily and Shadow Milk whipped their heads around seemingly surprised at his sudden appearance.
“We’re charting the stars from when Shadow Milk was the Fount of Knowledge so I can study the passage of time and how it affects the night sky.” White Lily spoke while jotting down notes in a notebook to her side
“So easy work,” Shadow Milk said as he flipped down from the ceiling and in front of Pure Vanilla giving him a smile that made butterfly’s erupt in Pure Vanilla's belly.
“Well then shall I leave you two to it?” Pure Vanilla asked tilting his head, Shadow Milk saw the similarities between him and White Lily and shuddered at the comparison.
“If you could that would be great we’re almost finished here,” White Lily said looking up from a map of the old cookie world that was rolled across a rather large table
“Oh, but I haven’t even gotten to the best part!! There was once a whole galaxy just north of ours that has since shifted into another dimension!” Shadow Milk grinned and clapped his hands together, his joy was infectious, White Lily’s eyes sparkled in a way Pure Vanilla hadn’t seen since their academia days. Pure Vanilla couldn’t stop the fond smile that sprouted on his face. He turned and left them to their research
Feeling immensely proud of himself